Tracking Backwards
by Avis Maxima
Summary: AU – During Harry's first miserable month through Hogwarts as a first year, a single event would bring the change he always dreamed of–good school, new friends, new career, and as normal as it could get.


AN: I just wanted to try a 'What if' story. Not that I really wanted to degrade Hogwarts or anything, but they missed some critical points. I will apologize now for the grammar errors or spelling. This will be quite slow in progress so please bear with me. The story will take its time. And the next Chapter will entail the result back in Hogwarts and Britain.**  
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_Disclaimer: Harry Potter Characters aren't mine but the OC's are._

**OooOoOooO**

**Year I: Part I**

Harry was returning to the Gryffindor Tower after an exhausting Quidditch practice facilitated by Oliver Wood. The boy was extremely fanatical of the magical sport–that much, Harry could deduce and the captain was really obsessed about winning the cup too.

As much as he enjoyed flying, he didn't enjoy having a numb body at sleep and an extremely cramped and painful one at the morning.

It was just insane.

Normally, he would have avoided the route passing by the stairs down the dungeons. But then, he would have to take the long way by the Great Hall and that would only waste an inordinate amount of time that could be spent lying down on his four-poster bed to sleep.

So taking the shortcut, he sluggishly passed by the halls, imagining the soft plush mattress that–

"You bitch! How dare you!"

Harry paused as he heard the familiar snarky voice of Malfoy. He slowly crept by the wall and hid behind an armor suit along it. Peering over its edge, he saw the blonde boy holding a hand to his face–the area around his nose–with blood seeping through his fingers. His grey eyes were glinting murderously. Then he shifted his gaze and froze. Not in fear but cold anger. Held by his two goons was a raven haired girl.

There were visible tear-tracks on her cheeks but she still gave a defiant hazel-eyed glare at Malfoy. And he couldn't possibly miss the red handprint stinging on her left cheek–

Oh, and she's also a Slytherin.

He knew Malfoy was bad news. He knew that he was an arrogant, spoiled prat. But Harry never pegged the boy to be an actual bully.

Harry despised bullies as much as he hated Voldemort for murdering his parents.

"What? Going to hide behind daddy's back again?" The girl tried to sneer but Harry could tell that something wasn't right with her jaw. But he had to admire her courage. Even if cornered with a three to one disadvantage, she still had the nerve to taunt her attackers.

While he learned to stay silent around Dudley and his gang–that meant more bruises and Harry was willing to let go of some dignity to escape.

Malfoy's eyes narrowed and he suddenly nodded sharply to one of the fat boys holding her down–was it Crabbe or Goyle?–and the boy actually came through by twisting her arm cruelly as Harry heard the sickening pop of a shoulder being dislocated. He winced and saw the girl gasp in pain. She instantly bit her lip. Whether to ignore the horrible ache or to stop from screaming, he didn't want to know. He didn't have the intention of finding out.

Angrily bringing out his wand, he pointed it at Malfoy and sent a body-binding curse he had learned on his own. After all, he wanted to learn to defend his self and Professor Quirrell didn't inspire that motivation.

The blonde boy's body froze and fell back. His two goons blinked at what happened in slow comprehension. Harry wasted no time in taking advantage. He casted the spell again on the two and watched as they also both dropped down, immobile and restricted.

He watched as the girl instantly jumped away from them, glaring at their frozen forms in contempt.

If Harry hadn't come, the scenario would be for her to stay silent and wordlessly join Pansy Parkinson and her group. Malfoy would have won that round. But he didn't and Harry had saved her from that humiliation.

She spat on Malfoy's robes, livid, and glowered.

"You underhanded prick," She hissed at the blonde who could only watch.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked hesitantly, eyeing the girl warily.

Hazel eyes turned to him sharply but they visibly softened at the sight of her saviour. Yet, she didn't eye him reverently, just gratefully.

"Harry Potter, thank you." The girl stated softly as she inclined her head in acknowledgement, not answering his question.

Before he could even express his welcome at the gratitude, thunderous footsteps rang in their ears. Both of them instantly gazed at the stairs leading down the dungeons. Severus Snape came to them. Cloak billowing and fearsome scowl in his wake. His dark eyes found the bound bodies of Malfoy and his sycophants.

"Potter!" The man bellowed as he glared at the green-eyed boy. "That will be fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention with me on Friday night for attacking fellow students!"

Harry's eyes narrowed at the obvious injustice while the girl's eyes widened in shock.

"Professor, it was Potter who saved me from Malfoy. He and his cohorts cornered me! He dislocated my shoulder and backhanded me! He's the insufferable, bastard!" The girl hissed in anger, her face flushed. "That git also insulted my family and I. I won't stand for that ridiculous treatment!" She gritted out as her cheek's reddish tint from the assault darkened into a bruise.

"Potter still used a spell against a classmate," Snape stated slowly with an undertone of malice and mockery. "And I assure you, Miss Greengrass, that Mister Malfoy will get the punishment he deserves."

The two dark haired children weren't sure, but they thought they heard a hint of sarcasm.

"And a public apology." She added as her eyes glared defiantly at her Head of House.

"_I_ will handle his punishment," The man said with such finality that left the still injured girl visibly fuming.

"For all intents, sir, Malfoy just attacked a fellow classmate. Greengrass should deserve that much, I think." Harry interjected and found himself the victim of Snape's scorching glare. He felt a prickle of pain for a moment at the back his head that he grimaced before it disappeared. The greasy haired man was now sneering in distaste.

"This isn't your business to begin with," Snape finally said. "Go back to your common room before I add another detention." He instructed Harry darkly, ignoring his indignant stare and the girl's protests.

Feeling much daring than before, Harry ignored the man and turned to the girl.

"Do you need help in going to the Infirmary?" He questioned gently.

The girl blinked at him in surprise before she smiled warmly at him. But she shook her head and he saw her hazel eyes glinting with calculating fury as they gazed at Snape.

"What are you waiting for?" Snape growled at him. "Go!" He barked angrily.

Harry left extremely reluctantly with a heavy heart, knowing that he shouldn't, but didn't know what to do.

He knew Snape hated him. He knew the man never liked him. He knew that the man also went out of his way to torment Harry. But getting others involved just to further it… it made him beyond furious.

But this was the last straw.

Snape had treated him unfairly during his first month–even if reported–was duly ignored by the staff and apparently, the Headmaster. Classmates had the rude habit of staring at him and knowing him through books which printed mostly lies. A Professor _obviously_ overlooking a transgression of a student in order to get Harry in trouble. And feeling more like a specimen than a fellow student here.

Aside from having a friend, it was almost like back in Primary school.

That thought made it the real last straw.

XxxXxxX

Even though he had already concluded that he no longer liked Hogwarts after a month of discomfort and misfortune, Harry had no idea of what to do. Even with horrible downsides, it was still better than the Dursleys. So he fumed and raged in silence as three days passed since the incident. Malfoy still glared but avoided him at the moment. Some of the higher years were annoyed at the lost of points due to him. But he could care less, honestly. He got into a scathing row with Ron a day before–because Harry lost points and therefore, the redhead had shared the brunt of disgruntlement from others in Gryffindor–and was now ignoring Harry.

A part of him was betrayed and sad at the loss. Another part somehow felt freed and Harry used the time he usually would laze around with Ron in the common room to do homework and some reading of his own.

Since he was now alone, he decided to spend his time in the library. And saw the girl he rescued sitting at a secluded corner, shoulders hunched as she hovered over numerous parchments and pamphlets of some sort. Throwing cautions to the wind, Harry approached the Slytherin and sat across from her. Whispers started to come to life but he ignored it. He could care less what they thought, all he could remember was the grateful face of a raven haired girl as she smiled through a bruised face.

"Uhm," He hesitantly started, suddenly unsure why he thought this was a good idea. "Is your shoulder alright now?" He decided to settle for a safe topic.

She looked up and hazel eyes brightened at the sight of him.

"Potter!" Her voice held a hint of surprise and pleasure. "Madam Pomfrey got it healed. Thank you for asking."

He blushed slightly, unused to offers of gratitude or praise.

"It's no problem," He stated quietly. "How did it go with… Snape?" He hesitantly asked and he felt the familiar fury he had been bottling simmer under his skin.

"Oh, I understand now why Gryffindors think so lowly of him." She suddenly glowered darkly. "He called in a prefect, Marcus bloody Flint, who just happened to be a firm supporter of Malfoy. The greasy bat discredited me soundly to the school nurse with the 'Slytherin Prefect' as an acting witness." She stated the title with such sarcasm that Harry knew she had no respect for it. "Apparently, Malfoy's got influence and I had to be careful. I won't stand for it and if the government is blinded by Malfoy's dad's fortune, then I want no part of it and will be leaving." She declared in a voice that broke no arguments.

His dislike of the school was instantly cemented with that news.

But something else caught his attention.

"But isn't Hogwarts the only magical school in Britain?" He questioned with confusion, since he remembered how Hagrid went on and on about Hogwarts being the only good school in the country.

"That's bullshit," She contradicted dryly. "And who says it has to be in Britain?" She raised an eyebrow in challenge.

"You're going abroad?" He asked with interest and a little disappointment, he thought he had earned himself a new friend.

"Still looking," She shrugged as she gestured to the pamphlets in front of her.

And suddenly, the solution to his problems was so obvious.

Feeling oddly hopeful, he stared at her with wide eyes.

"May I?" He asked for permission.

"Sure," Her eyes sparkled in curiosity before she shrugged. "I sent a mail to my father two days ago about my grievances. He took it upon himself to acquire as many information about schools I could attend to choose from. He grew up in the muggle world so he had contacts around the world." She informed him as she handed him a large pile of papers and parchments.

Just as he picked up the paper on top, he paused.

He was suddenly struck by something.

"I… I didn't catch your name." He told her hesitantly in embarrassment but she just smirked at him in amusement.

"I thought you'll never ask," She teased and he shifted awkwardly. "It's Daphne Greengrass." She introduced with a cheerful gleam in her hazel eyes.

"Nice to meet you," Harry said genuinely with a shy smile.

"Go ahead then," She gestured to the pile.

He nodded absently as he read the first pamphlet. Magìa Constantìne Instituição. A school located somewhere in Aveiro, Portugal. Unlike in Hogwarts, it required the student to finish education for nine years. The first six years spent learning their standard magical curriculum and the next three years earning a Mastery in a subject of the student's choice. The teachers each had a title or Mastery attached to their names and according to the eight paged pamphlet, the rules were straight to the letter. It sounded reasonably well until his face fell at a certain passage: _There are two terms in one school year with 16 weeks per term, eight months in a school year. Students would then be required to go home during the holidays and summer…_

And he stopped reading after that. Not only was he required to go back to his relatives for the summer but also for holidays. The school year was even shorter than Hogwarts and that meant longer time with the Dursleys.

The next was Academia ý Valentine in Madrid, Spain. It required students to finish schooling for four years before moving to another school to acquire N-level scores to acquire a Mastery for the next three years. It was nice and all but Harry ignored the descriptions the moment he saw Dark Arts and Spell Craft amongst the subjects.

Scholastican School of Battle Magic and Sciences from Hanover, Germany; and Pyron Ambré Magical Institution from Egypt earned his interest. The Scholastican School for having some non-magical subjects as requirement for higher years while the Magical Institution from Egypt for focusing on Curse Breaking and Warding. The teachers also held Masteries to their names and the overall sounded reasonable but still only had nine months in a school year which was still shorter than the ten months in Hogwarts and still prompted him to go back to his guardians during breaks.

Olympus Center of Alchemy and Magic from Rhodes, Greece was _very_ interesting. According to its History, Nicolas Flamel who was the inventor of a Philosopher's Stone and famous Alchemist in the world, had been one of the Professors in Alchemy for the school five centuries ago. It was the number one school in the subject and had the seventy percent number of passing graduates for the last decades which was saying something compared to Hogwarts and other schools' fifty to sixty-three percent. It also held the same ten month requirement in a school year and that was enough for him so he set it aside, just in case.

Asian Lyceum of Spells from Hongkong though only permitted those who had primary magical education prior to attending the school. And Harry had been kept ignorant of the Wizardry World until his birthday so he saw no reason to be enrolled there.

Then there was the Cultural Sciences of Magic in San Francisco, America. It met all year long, had reasonable non-magical subjects included in its core curriculum and taught integration of magic with Technology. It was absolutely fascinating. The only downside was that it didn't have any dorms so it required students to go home everyday like in muggle schools. And starting age was from nine to sixteen. So he shrugged and put the parchment aside again, he was two years late anyway.

He never believed in saving the best for last but as he read the last pamphlet, he considered it.

Istituto Lombardi d'Arte é Magìa from Milan, Italy or Lombardi Institute of Arts and Magic. Like the Cultural Sciences of Magic, it met all year long. But the starting age was from eleven to fifteen for Intermediate Level Education with fifteen or sixteen to nineteen for Mastery Level Education. It also included non-magical courses where the scores were then recorded into the muggle system to give students the choice of continuing their study in Universities in the muggle world. The Istituto was founded by Luciano Lombardi–the most skilled duellist of his time, also known as the "Guerriero"–nine hundred years ago. It was rather popular with quality education according to the brochure and the teachers were either well-known in their field or graduated with platinum-level Mastery in their subject. It didn't have any dorms in school–but the institute had their own apartment buildings next to the school for students who either no longer had relatives, lived alone, or had no place to live. The Institute's location wasn't well known since it was under a Fidelius Charm empowered by the Headmaster–only those who had seen or had been there would be able to locate the place. Oh, classes there would start at October 21st that made the hope within him swell.

And _that_ was exactly what Harry needed.

What he noticed the schools all had in common when it came to the field of learning aside from the core subjects, was they all had either "Wizardry Culture", "Introduction to Magic and its World", or "Magical Preface to Wizard Culture and Tradition". And instead of Defense Against the Dark Arts, it was either "Duelling" or "Battle Magic".

Harry didn't understand why Hogwarts lacked the most important subject in his opinion since a third of the student body were either muggle-raised, half-bloods, or muggleborns.

"These schools… are _so_ much better here." Harry whispered softly in awe.

"I recently discovered," Daphne nodded her head with an almost giddy smile on her face. "The only reason I attended here was to honor my father who graduated here. But he said that even if I graduated from Durmstrang or that Academia from Spain, as long as he could be proud of me, he'd let me choose the school." She explained excitedly.

Harry had been starting to notice that she always mentioned her father, never her mother nor her parents; just father.

"I wish I can attend this one," He admitted timidly as he showed her the brochure of the Istituto.

"You can," She responded firmly. "Just submit your admission form and if you're worried about the Ministry of Magic forcing you to go back here, you can apply for an Italian Citizenship there and a guardianship contract under the school until you are of age or a suitable guardian appears. They can't make you return here then without your consent since it will be considered an assault on an Italian citizen. And Peace Treaties are really important in the magical world."

"How do I get an admission form?" Harry eagerly insisted as he looked at her with wide, hopeful green eyes.

Her expression seemed pensive at his reaction but then smiled at him almost gently.

Daphne grabbed the brochure from his hands and turned to the very last page–pointing to a rather blank section in deep black. She took out her wand and tapped it once. Harry watched in astonishment as a small scroll shimmered into existence. When the girl handed the brochure and scroll back, he saw the instructions regarding how to acquire an admission form if a student was from abroad on the brochure and the scroll was an admission contract to apply.

"Most of them have that spell to make it easier for applicants," The raven haired girl answered his unasked question.

He smiled to himself as he felt himself go giddy and was thrilled at the new prospect before him.

He looked up at the girl with an open smile.

"What about you? Have you chosen yet?" He was curious and was hoping that even if they went on their separate ways, they could still be in contact. She was giving him a very big chance not only to escape this magical world in Britain–where he was famous for having dead parents–but to also be away from the Dursleys forever.

"It's either the Olympus Center in Greece or also the Lombardi Institute in Italy. I'm rather fascinated in Alchemy and Potions, especially if someone as famous as Flamel had taught there." She told him with a smile. "But I don't want to fall behind my muggle studies since I live in both worlds, my granduncle owns several restaurants there."

"Are you a half-blood?" This question had been nagging him since she mentioned the muggle world.

"No," Daphne shook her head. "I'm a Pureblood. My father was orphaned at a very young age–he was from the Noble House of Greengrass–and was raised by his squib uncle in the muggle world, my Granduncle Mikee. It's just the two of us since my mother abandoned us with my younger sister. She's from the pureblood family of Selwyn and she disliked that my dad was practically a muggleborn at heart. And since they were married magically, my father couldn't remarry unless he wanted his life to be forfeited."

Harry looked at the girl in a new light.

And slight suspicion.

"I… I'm sorry," He stated quietly in apology. "But–_why_ are you telling me this?"

Daphne stared at him seriously and intensely.

"Because you saved my life, whether you knew it or not. Just like how my granduncle always says, there are fates worse than death. My family owes you a life-debt. And you deserve to know what kind of family the person you saved have." She disclosed with a calm expression but there was a certain kindness in her eyes that reassured Harry.

"You can just go to the Istituto with me," He mentioned as casually as he could. He would be entering a new environment there and he wanted someone he knew to be there with him. Looking at her wide yet questioning eyes, he elaborated. "I mean, with the non-magical subjects there, you can even apply for a muggle University after. And we'll have time to prepare, classes there start in October 21st."

"You're rather invested in this," Daphne remarked as her eyes flashed in appraisal.

"I am," He declared strongly that it surprised the girl. "My muggle relatives hate me and Hogwarts just isn't the school for me. So why shouldn't I try?"

"Of course, it just surprises me since I am a Slytherin. I can be tricking you into a trap of some sort." She tilted her head and her voice held a small amount of amusement.

"I know you won't. Slytherin doesn't have to always mean dark, Greengrass." Harry argued with a frown.

This was also one of the things that frustrated him. House Rivalries. It made making friends with his other classmates–who wasn't a Gryffindor–very hard. Hufflepuffs looked intimidated by Gryffindors. Ravenclaws thought themselves above Gryffindors. And Slytherin was majorly annoyed with his house.

Daphne's surprise was very visible before she smiled at him with more sincerity than before. It radiated a warm yet companionable feeling.

It was the same thing Harry felt when he met his first friend in Ron.

Then she stood up, gathered the parchments, brochures, pamphlets, her books and put them in her bag. She smirked at him mischievously as her eyes sparkled in merriment. It was more pleasant than the ones Slytherins he met before used.

"You've just convinced me to go to the Istituto with you. And for future reference, it's Daphne."

With that, she left the library with a small wave to his direction.

He looked down at the admission contract and chuckled a bit at how a simple heroic act–that he really _did_–had presented a hopefully promising change.

XxxXxxX

He had filled out the contract. Basic information such as name, age, birth date, hobbies, expectations. There were other personal inquiries such as what he wanted to learn in the magical world, why he chose the school, what his family life was like (which he almost lied to but remembered that if he wanted to be accepted by the school, he needed to be honest with them), what he already knew about magic, and why he chose to go through the Wizardry World (if he grew up with muggles).

Harry had watched in fascination as the contract blew up in sparkly gray dust as soon as he finished putting in his signature. One of the warnings written had notified him how the contract would react once all the necessary information had been provided. Apparently, it would instantly go to the Registration Bureau of the institute to enlist him as one of the incoming students and would be receiving a reply within two to three days.

Daphne had already filled hers and was also waiting for a reply. She had also handed him the necessary form from the Ministry of Magic to officialise his withdrawal from Hogwarts (which was already filled out and ready in case he needed to leave). They rarely talked in public since they didn't want to be targeted more than they already were. But when no one was looking, they passed notes to each other or found themselves a secluded corner in the library to talk about their transfer. Daphne had expressed her thoughts that Harry should travel to the Istituto first so his departure wouldn't be linked to her or her family. His fame would target them and the Greengrass' influence had decreased along the years as her father focused much of his attention in the muggle world.

Seeing her point, he reluctantly agreed that she would then follow four or five days later. He also discovered that Malfoy had declared her an enemy, automatically singling her out in the Slytherin House. So they used her reputation as a loner to meet up privately. Aside from discussing their new future school, he discovered that her father was a lawyer and engineer in the muggle world named Miguel Greengrass, hence, how he established connections around the world. The raven haired girl spoke proudly and fondly of her father. He never asked about her mother just as she never asked about his relatives. In turn, he told her about his first time in the Wizardry World leading up to the present.

Lessons at Hogwarts didn't concern them as much anymore but they still continued to work hard to keep up appearances. Ron had tried to come back to him and apologize but Harry had been hurt. And to cover the weakness, he vented his frustrations out. So he may or may not have said some cruel things to the redhead that were brutally truthful. Since then, Ron started hanging out with Dean and Seamus. Even though no longer best friends, they remained on speaking terms–Harry's words might have been an eye opener.

The letter finally came on Friday. Harry decided to read it once he reached the dorms. Despite the excitement welling up in him, he remembered that he was supposed to serve detention for Snape after dinner. The man had still been snarky to him. He made Harry scrub three dozen cauldrons which covered up most of his evening. But it bothered Harry how the professor was now watching him closely. It was far from the scorn he always bore. As if he was appraising Harry for the first time. But it was too late.

Tired and exhausted, Harry still managed to come back to the Gryffindor tower brimming with enthusiasm. Instantly climbing the stairs to the boy's dorm, Harry impatiently jumped on his bed and promptly closed the curtains around him. It was a crisp white envelope with his name addressed at the font. While a wax signature sealed the letter–the image of two crisscrossed rapier swords with an infinity symbol at the center.

Opening it rather anxiously, Harry brought out two documents and a letter. The first document was his acceptance letter which entailed that they received his admission contract, and he was now a listed student of the Istituto. It also explained how the document would act as a portkey–with a password of "Finis"–and would only be active before classes start. Then it also went to explain that the school facilities, regulations, and requirements would be explained by a Professor named Marcello Bianchi–that Harry should inquire for the man as soon as he arrived.

The second document was an application for an Italian Citizenship. It surprised him that the school would instantly send one. So he opened the letter, hoping it would shed some answers. He was surprised to read that it was personally from the Istituto's Headmaster.

_**Istituto Lombardi d'Arte é Magìa**__  
Milan, Italy (Mila'no, Italia)_

_Direttoré di Scuola (Headmaster):  
Orlando Giuseppe Baldovini_

Dear Mr. Potter,

It is a pleasure to see your name among our future students. I've known your grandfather, Charlus Tiberion Potter. He is certainly an intelligent and powerful man. He is one of my colleagues in Great Britain back in the 60's. Though not dedicated as your grandfather, your father, James, was a talented wizard in his own right.

And I am hoping that they have passed their talents along to you.

I haven't personally met your mother, Lily, but she is apparently very brilliant in her chosen field–Charms–and a friend of mine has spoken highly of her talents. Unfortunately, their demise was a loss in our world. You are the last of their line, and with you as their heir, I have no doubt in my mind that you will grow up to be a powerful young wizard which they will be proud of. With that knowledge, I am quite enthusiastic to welcome you in our school.

You may not have heard, seeing from your admission contract that you have just been recently introduced to the Wizardry circle a month and a half ago, but Istituto Lombardi d'Arte é Magìa is among the Top Ten Magical Schools in the whole world. It is rather famous for successfully integrating the magical and non-magical aspects of our world together for the past six centuries–with the largest number of students achieving successful careers after graduation either in the muggle world or the magical world.

We are also the only school in Europe who has incorporated the use of computers and electronics within a magical environment. The school functions year round and is very precise and strict in rate of instructing our subjects: which meant that schoolwork is heavy for the first few months. As you have read in our informational catalogue/brochure, we have two levels in our magical curriculum. The Intermediate levels will require five years of study (required at age eleven to fifteen) for the standard instruction that will help a student to see what field he/she will prefer to take as a Mastery(s), it will also assimilate the in-depth knowledge of a young wizard and witch in regards to the general areas in the magical world. You will be required to take A-level tests in order to advance for your Mastery levels. The Mastery levels will help the student to focus on his field and will be apprenticed to one of the masters available in the area after two years in the level. You will have to pass your S-level examinations on your third year of the level to graduate and achieve your license for the subject.

As you are aware, there is an application form pushing for a claim of Italian Citizenship. The school always includes those when dealing with foreign students to avoid international incidents: such as your delicate case due to your rather unfortunate fame. Your guardianship will then fall to your current school's hand until an appropriate guardian is chosen. Of course, it is optional but I encourage you to go through with it judging from the impression I have gotten of your family life. I sincerely await the day to finally meet and get to know the young man that is from the blood of great people.

Sincerely Yours,  
_Orlando Baldovini_

He couldn't breathe. It wasn't until he started to feel light-headed that he gasped for air. Not once was there any fawning over his fame or hatred because he was thought of as a spoiled, pampered prince. This man, the Istituto's Headmaster, had known his grandfather and father to an extent. Great things was expected of him because of the prowess the man had known from the Potter Family and what little he heard of his mother's. It wasn't because Harry was the Boy-Who-Lived. And it was just his luck that Daphne had managed to get him an admission contract for one of the Top Ten Magical Schools in the whole world. Hagrid had certainly not praised Hogwarts that way. And his eyes welled up with tears as he gazed at the citizenship form–he just needed to fill it out, put his signature, and he would be able to get out of the Dursleys' care indefinitely.

Then he laughed loudly as the tears finally trickled down his cheeks, not caring if he disturbed his dorm mates.

This was a bloody _miracle_.

Almost too good to be true _but_ Harry was taking advantage of it.

XxxXxxX

Harry was lucky that it had been a weekend after the letter arrived. Because he planned to leave as soon as he received it. Luckily, according to one of Daphne's notes in Transfiguration class, her father had said that the Headmaster was supposed to be out of the school for an important Wizengamot business–which meant easier access out of the castle. Since there was supposed to be no classes for today, he purposely got out of bed late and waited for his dorm mates to get out. Though Harry was slightly disgruntled with Seamus since the Irish boy had gotten out of bed two hours before noon. So it was lunch time by the time he had everything packed in his trunk and had Hedwig perched on his shoulder after he had fetched her from the Owlery.

Daphne wouldn't see him off. He only promised her that he would write as soon as he got to the Istituto. He left the broom–Nimbus 2000, he kind of felt guilty for leaving the Quidditch team but his life was more important than a school sport–on his bed together with the Withdrawal Form. Harry remembered how the magic around the school started to suppress his as soon as his signature made the form binding. It meant that the castle no longer considered him as one of its wards. Though it had taken him an hour and a half before he could reach the gate and leave the school grounds–dodging Filch, the Professors, and the students was just insane. But he was an expert from escaping and hiding–which he learned from his cousin, Dudley, during one of his 'Harry Hunts'. Daphne had advised him to go to Hogsmeade first so locating the magic residue from the portkey would be next to nil.

Harry was dressed in his best muggle clothes–which, thankfully, weren't Dudley's old ones but from a second-hand thrift store after one of the neighbors started to notice Harry's sorry state–a faded blue button up shirt and dark jeans with his old and somewhat battered sneakers. He had his Hogwarts robe over them before removing it upon exiting the gates.

He had searched the library with spells that would be extremely useful for this day and found the third year spell, a Shrinking Charm for his trunk. It was absolutely difficult to perform until he had finally conceded to ask for Hermione Granger's help since he didn't want to tip the Professors of his plan. The girl was rather enthusiastic but her bossy and bookish explanations were rather hard to follow until he just asked if she could stop the theory and help him _actually_ perform the spell. She was rather miffed at him but eventually relented. So it had taken the better part of two days for him to successfully perform it.

He also found out that the girl wasn't as bad as Ron made her out to be. She could come out as a 'know-it-all' to others but in truth, the girl was hoping that her knowledgeable skills would earn her some friends–which came out to do the opposite. Her bossy nature came from the fact that she had complete faith in books and believed that since her words were from the very text, that she was also right.

Hermione was a loner. Harry knew that much.

But she wasn't terrible–her lack of skills in the social department was due to being bullied for her smarts back in her own Primary school. So during his remaining days, he had made a friend out of the bushy haired girl. But he had convinced her to befriend Neville and give the shy and timid boy a chance. It worked out well since the two were hardly seen without the other in the halls now. It turned out, Neville was also a loner and mostly the target of the Slytherin House. He had expressed his breakdown at the earlier days of the term where he had been teased for associating with Hermione and the pressure it brought on him. Hermione had accepted his apology since she could understand what Neville was going through.

And Harry was just happy that the two had found friends in each other within the castle.

Something he hoped that he would achieve at the Istituto.

Upon reaching Hogsmeade, he resolutely put on the battered baseball cap he had with him to cover up his scar. He entered the Honeydukes Shop and bought numerous sweets to bring with him, and then went to the back door after getting permission from the employee. He brought out the acceptance letter from his pocket and smiled almost giddily.

"Finis."

XxxXxxX

Travelling by portkey, Harry concluded, was by far the most unpleasant feeling he had ever experienced. It was awfully nauseating.

After reassuring himself that the world wasn't tilting to its side or that the ground was still firmly below his feet, he took a good look of his surroundings. And promptly gasped. Looking behind him was rather large triumphal arch in gray marble stone with walls that stretched so far out to the sides, informing him just how large the school grounds were. It was pierced with a large central arch and two much smaller flanking pedestrian openings in the pedestals.

Its arch is flanked with two winged horses applied to the wall face on their reared stance. Above the main arch though, the southern face carried the sculptural faces of roman-dressed warriors while the entablature bears the glided gold inscription of _Istituto Lombardi d'Arte é Magìa_. Within the openings and central arch were tall gates in golden bars. On the very top was a sculpture of the same two crisscrossed rapier swords with the infinity symbol looped around it that he saw on the seal wax.

And staring back at the front, Harry was treated to the sight of a broad and spacious courtyard with gray stone floors (unlike the lush green field that besieged Hogwarts) surrounding a large infrastructure, more so than Hogwarts. It was like he entered one of the history books back in Primary school–the part where there were pictures of castles, fortress, and citadels back in the Baroque Period. It was a quatrefoil fashioned building with a long row of buildings to both sides which were lined with marble columns. The wall faces though contained several sculptures as they lined along the stone barrier. In each structure were copious amounts of window in several rows, indicating varied number of floors. But the main central building in the center contained large, colorful circular windows. But it also had the same large double doors in Hogwarts.

Harry excitedly walked across the courtyard and hesitantly walked to the double doors. As he entered inside, he couldn't stop the look of awe from appearing on his face. The marble tiled floors were simple in design but gave of a compelling feeling like in museums. The place was utterly huge (maybe two to three times as large as the Great Hall) and he could see people milling around. Some of which, Harry suspected, were either students or professors. And the younger ones were dressed in casual clothing that Harry could only associate with classes still being not in session. The walls were painted in rust colors as paintings lined along it. Others were moving while others stayed immobile.

Elaborate console tables were set against the piers and between the windows. In ceilings the new popular style of frescoing emerged known as the _quadratura_ from its elaborate framing, was reflected in the framing of large looking-glasses, assembled from six to eighteen panes of Venetian mirror-glass, themselves being made in larger dimensions than ever. And sculptures of people he had yet to know were stationed near the walls. Trying to contain his amazement, he walked up to what looked like a lobby with a high desk that might have served as the counter. There was a name plaque placed on top with: _Francesca Rosette __Ambrosio, Ammissìoni Direttoré (Admissions Director)_.

There was a middle-aged woman standing behind with strawberry blonde hair done in an intricate knot while curious gray eyes peered at him kindly. She was dressed in a crisp green dress blouse with a flowing brown skirt. She had looked up from her work–organizing some documents and seemed to be filing papers.

"Benvenuto a Istituto Lombardi d'Arte é Magìa," She greeted him softly but seeing his confused face, she smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, you must be a foreign student. Welcome to Lombardi Institute of Arts and Magic. I am Francesca Ambrosio as you have read," She pointed out to the name plaque. "It would be appreciated if you hand in your acceptance file." The woman requested patiently.

Harry brought out the envelope from his pocket, somewhat wrinkled but still presentable. He hastily brought out the document that was asked for and quickly handed it to the surprise blonde woman who then chuckled and shook her head in amusement.

"You are quite the excited one, aren't you?" She smiled at him gently as her eyes took a wistful look that told him this wasn't a new occurrence. Her voice still held a very noticeable accent but Harry was quite fine with it.

"The school is beautiful," He commented shyly through his blushing face and watched as the woman's face brightened considerably.

"Very astute!" She answered happily. "We are very proud of it. Thank you for the compliment. Mister…?" She trailed off as she studied the acceptance letter seriously before nodding decisively that conveyed affirmation. "Mister Potter." She didn't react to the name and Harry was glad about it. "It says here that Professor Marcello Bianchi will be your escort and facilitator for two days in order to introduce you properly to our institute. We will have him called here in half an hour so we request you to be patient. As for your official designation to our school, I will have your file arranged." Francesca informed him as she brought out her wand and tapped the acceptance letter.

Several folders instantly appeared on her desk and several papers within glowed a faint gold and Harry felt himself more incorporated to the place, more at ease and connected and the magic around was vast and overwhelmingly welcoming; as if reassuring his safety.

The blonde woman's smile widened as she checked through the papers before setting it down and stamped the acceptance document with a seal. It glowed a brilliant white and Harry had to cover his eyes for a while. When he opened them again, in the document's place was a luscious silver name plate with his full name engraved in impressive bronzed cursive writing. The symbol of the two crisscrossed rapier swords with the infinity symbol was clearly placed at the left side of his name.

His eyes widened as the woman picked it up and handed it to him.

"You're officially a student and ward of the Istituto. And this will represent that and the plate will also act as an emergency portkey in case of emergencies which will lead you to the School Atrium. Please take a seat in our waiting area and Professor Bianchi will arrive shortly." She instructed him with a gentle nudge as she pointed to the ornate-looking chairs that were lined in front of the counter.

Harry saw a few kids seated and reluctantly sat on the vacant chair next to a brown haired boy with matching large chocolate brown eyes. He looked to be about his age so Harry felt it was safe to sit next to him rather than the intimidating (in his opinion) older ones.

Awkward silence pervaded Harry's awareness while the other boy didn't seem to notice.

The raven haired boy shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Hoping he had persuaded Daphne into coming along with him at the same time. Then he wouldn't be so alone on his first day. Absentmindedly, he ran his fingers on the name plate, memorizing the details and felt himself smile.

"It's exciting, isn't it?" A voice pierced through his bubble.

Harry blinked in surprise and gazed in confusion at being interrupted from his musings. Then he saw the brunette boy beside him, staring at him with those wide brown eyes as he grinned.

"Of course," He nodded, unsure of what to even say. "I just arrived." He offered lamely with a shrug.

"Me too," The boy said with a slight tilt in his words, it was English but lacked the brogue precision from Europe. "My parents just dropped me off earlier. I'm supposed to be waiting for a Professor to facilitate my orientation here. I'm gonna go shit crazy if I stay here any longer!"

"I guess we're in the same boat." Harry conceded before almost timidly offering his hand. "I'm Harry, by the way, Harry Potter." He introduced and almost expected a gasp of awe or snort of derision, but none came.

The boy just brightened as he shook Harry's hand energetically.

"Kristoff O'Donnell," The brunette introduced cheerfully. "But I prefer Kris, if you don't mind, my name's quite a handful in my opinion." Kris stated quickly and he looked a lot younger with the boyish grin on his face.

"Judging from your accent, you're not from Italy too." Harry commented as he felt himself relax, smiling at the other boy as he pulled his hand back.

"Nope, I'm from America. My parents are purebloods–not that I really care but they graduated from Lincoln Magical Academy from Minnesota. And they both wanted me to have the best education for magic so they dumped me here. Seriously, I think they just want to be known for having a son studying in one of the most prestigious magical schools. They meant well but… they care about reputation too much." Kris told him, his grin not faltering as if he had narrated the story quite a few times which Harry didn't doubt.

"Well, I'm from Great Britain," Harry felt compelled to share since the other boy had. "I used to go to Hogwarts but the school just wasn't for me, I guess." He shrugged as he felt the thrill at being somewhere where he wasn't stared at for his fame. "My parents died when I was one and a friend of mine suggested this school. I rather liked their curriculum, it suited both my needs since I was muggle raised and a half-blood. I live in both worlds." He explained at the other's confused look.

"Oh!" The other beamed. "That's great! I was afraid that I'll be surrounded by a bunch of bastards who believe in that blood bogus crap. Nice to meet you!" Kris exclaimed merrily as his brown eyes sparkled blissfully.

Harry chuckled at the other's eagerness.

"Then you won't like Hogwarts at all. Its students value blood purity too much." Harry's tone darkened as he remembered Malfoy and how he got off scot-free for assaulting a fellow student just because of his father's influence. Kris just looked plainly horrified and disgusted.

"Didn't the school or your Ministry at least pushed for control over that? It's a huge loss for magical population since the Wizardry world is consisted of at least forty percent muggleborns!" The brunette boy frowned.

Harry shrugged indifferently.

"From what I heard, it's been like that even when my parents attended that school. I'm just glad I got to go here since, like I said earlier, a friend suggested this." He stated as he leaned back on the carefully crafted chair he sat on.

"That friend must be pretty tight with the higher echelons of the Wizardry Society then." Kris whistled in appreciation but upon seeing Harry's look, he elaborated. "Harry, this is one of the Top Ten Magical Schools in the whole _world_, it means that not just any student can get here. You have to be given an invitation personally or have been recommended for the school to even get your name to be listed down for candidacy for entry. Even if you come from the richest family in the world, if you weren't considered adequate by the school standards, then you can't be here. A family friend recommended me to one of the Professors here and apparently, I show promise since I am quite talented in Transfiguration. You must have had potential according to anyone who invited you here."

Harry paused, remembering the Headmaster's letter, how he saw the potential of a powerful wizard in Harry because of his family roots. And Daphne's dad was more well-connected than he had first thought. Instead of being intimidated or frustrated at the obvious expectation, Harry felt himself get determined to please them–that he could fulfil that expectation. Because he had the necessary resources to make it so while being expected to be a hero and saviour of the Wizardry world in Britain was much harder when you weren't the myth they believed in.

"I guess," He conceded though there was still a part of him–that was nurtured by the Dursleys–that thought he really wasn't that good in anything.

"Har, you–" Kris paused and stared at him intensely. "I can call you that, right?" He asked seriously, each word enunciated slowly as if he had just asked the meaning of life.

Harry blinked in bewilderment.

In the end, he just shrugged since he saw nothing wrong with the request, besides, it was just a nickname.

"Um, sure, if you like." He decided hesitantly.

Kris grinned.

"Cool," He responded in delight. "It's a habit of mine and I apologize if it unnerves you. My cousins definitely think so. In any case, Har, you shouldn't put yourself down! We're already wards of the school and that meant we're 'adequate'," Kris made an exaggerated quotation symbol with his fingers. "Enough for their taste, lighten up dude!" Then the boy made this odd sign with his right hand that the only fingers raised were the pinky, index, and thumb.

Harry felt himself chuckle at the boy's antics and his anxiety had diminished slightly.

"That's right, don't be a worry-wart and laugh it up!" Kris further encouraged which made Harry grin widely in response. The boy reminded him of the Weasley Twins–he wondered if Kris was a prankster too.

"Thanks, Kris. It doesn't unnerve me, by the way, odd but nice." He admitted bashfully but had to smile at his new friend's look of astonishment.

"Great, so do you play basketball?" Kris instantly shifted to another topic with an excited smile.

Harry shook his head and Kris gave a very terrified gasp.

"What the hell, dude? Once we get on with this orientation, you're going to learn how to handle a ball!" The brown haired boy declared resolutely with fire in his eyes.

XxxXxxX

It was another fifteen minutes before the assigned Professor arrived.

But Harry was fine with it, he had a lot of fun talking to Kris. The boy was very enthusiastic and cheerful, like he would never run out of energy. Though, there were moments that he would say random things that weren't connected to their present discussion–which was eccentric and odd but in a nice and companionable way. He also had the habit of laughing at random times which he would say that he remembered something funny and would tell him what it was. Some were hilarious but others were just confusing.

Kristoff O'Donnell was weird.

But Harry found that he preferred the boy that way. Aside from the bubbly disposition, the boy was a bookworm and sports enthusiast at heart–he realized when Kris would shift to talking about famous books he read and their history, to the NBA basketball games where Chicago Bulls was his favorite team with Michael Jordan as his favorite player. Kris was also updated with Professional Quidditch Games–he was a fan of the Stonewall Stormers from Canada and Heidelberg Harriers from Germany. Although, Kris admitted sullenly, Thundelarra Thunderers from Australia and the Bulgarian National Team were ahead for the championship game.

Harry mentioned that he would have been a seeker for his House's Quidditch team if he had stayed at Hogwarts. Kris had laughed very loudly–garnering some looks of curiosity or amusement–and smirked wickedly at Harry. It turned out that Kris was a very good chaser according to his uncle who was a co-captain of the Fitchburg Fitches back in America. After some enjoyment talking about the sport, they moved on to the nice interior of the main building to how excited they were to get a good look of the whole school.

It was then that Professor Marcello Bianchi arrived. And Harry was happy to note that he was the same facilitator for Kris and another two students, a boy and a girl. The boy, Valentine Sarkozi, had blonde hair and dark eyes. He was quiet and the way he spoke, showed that he had no interest in holding conversations. But he wasn't condescending and rude, just wanted to be left alone. While the girl, Eleanor Lévesque, had dark red hair and a pair of sapphire blue eyes–she awfully reminded him of Neville, shy, timid, and quite anxious. They were both from France. Valentine was from Avignon while Eleanor was from Vesoul.

Professor Bianchi was a tall man past six feet with dark olive skin, a pair of greyish blue eyes and dark, short curly hair. He was slightly roguish but mild and he got this mischievous sparkle in his eyes–he's the Professor of Transfiguration for Mastery Level students. When they started the tour, he informed them that the school was located in the green fields of Gudo Visconti, a municipality in the Province of Milan which was just fifteen kilometres away at Southwest of the main city. They started with the main building–the man described them briefly at each floor they passed.

"As you can see, this is the main building. Its design is influenced throughout the Roman History during the Baroque and Neoclassical Period. It contains nine floors–each floor has a designated department or office assigned. As you can see in the first floor, this is where the Admission's Office and Lobby is. It also houses the Registration Bureau for those who wanted to apply. The next on the second floor was the Transfer Unit Office–they handle students wanted to relocate here if they bypassed the starting age. Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth is where the Faculty offices are–each sector divided according to the subjects they teach. Then at the seventh is the Emergency and Travel Center–they handle fast and quick travels such as through the use of Floo Network, Portkey, Side-Along Apparition, or Apparition Training for those fifteen and above. The eighth floor is where school records are stored and I'll tell you, it's larger than it appears. And the ninth floor is where the Headmaster's office is, along with his Deputy Headmasters and School Administrators."

And then they headed out to a large building. It was somewhat similar to the style of the main building but this one was painted in maroon red. When they entered though, the four students couldn't stop the widening of the eyes or the gasp of awe. It was huge and extremely spacious with a high ceiling and balcony. Harry thought it looked like a movie house, only, without the large screen but in its place was a wide open stage with red curtains. The area was quite cosy too. Professor Bianchi then introduced them to the _Concerto Palazzo_ or the Concert Hall which serves as an Opera House, for Symphony Orchestras, or for Theatre plays. And that if they wanted, they could join the clubs dedicated to those.

Then there was the _Galleria D'Arte_–where students from Arts Club had piled their stunning works; from paintings, sculptures, and drawings. The building was not as large as the Concerto Palazzo but what made it interesting were the transparent glass walls and the colorful ensemble of the interior.

It went on for six hours. They had seen the Science, Computer, and Potions lab; then their library was extravagantly huge. Tall bookshelves upon bookshelves of books, tomes, and manuscripts, in conjunction with the multimedia section when the Computer lab was occupied for a class. Harry could just tell from Kris' eyes that he had fallen in love with the library. There was also a School Atrium which accommodated what they called the _Sala Allievo_ or the student lounge. He was slightly surprised at the number of students even at break. Most of them were older though and Professor Bianchi said that the younger ones they might see were new students since most Mastery Level students stayed even at break to use the facilities to study.

There was also the _Lotta Stadio_ or the Duelling Studio–was a large structure with broad oval shaped platform in the middle while several training dummies and obstacles were set up at the corners. There were at least five greenhouses for their Herbology and Botany and a large tracking field for their Physical Education. The _Palestra Fisico_ or the Gymnasium was amazing. There were numerous courts, a weighting section, and a swimming pool; while a Quidditch pitch was located at the back of the Institute. As for food, the Professor showed them to the _Cucina Lombardi–_where meals were served through the means of magical menus; while some could go back to their apartments and cook for themselves if they wanted. The last place they'd gone to was the Hospital Division–where they met the jovial the Head, Dr. Enrique Simeon, and other several personnel who ran the place.

Harry, Kris, and Valentine instantly signed up for one of the Institute's apartment while Eleanor would be staying at her sister's who owned one and went to the Istituto too. Kris had managed to persuade Harry to share one. Harry had agreed and had asked Kris to accompany him to the Milan Branch of Gringotts to the main city after another orientation tomorrow for their schedules and subjects. Kris being Kris, had chattered animatedly about how they could also go sight-seeing at the main city. There were several museums, shopping centres, bookstores, and landmarks that the brunette would like to visit. And since Harry had never been abroad before, he had agreed excitedly. He would also hand in his already filled out Italian Citizenship form tomorrow.

He was sure that Daphne would like to meet Kris. When she arrived, the three of them then could go together and see the amazing things Kris had told Harry about the main city. And maybe he could also introduce Eleanor to Daphne, so the redhead wouldn't feel alone and earn a friend in the raven haired girl.

When he slept that night in his room, it was with a carefree smile.

* * *

**Thank you for reading. Please leave a review. :))**


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